Chaotic Revenge
by Duchess Winna
Summary: Rikash Salmalín hates his parents, and he will do whatever it takes to hurt them. Discontinued.
1. Encounter with Chaos

**Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns all of these characters; I do not.

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_He saw her. Uusoae, Queen of Chaos, exactly as his parents described her. He stared at her, entranced._

_She looked at him, her empty eyes taking quick glances at his face. He did not flinch, like most mortals would. He needed her help._

_"Why have you come?" she rasped at him._

_He raised his head to look into her eyes. "I know that you hate my parents," he said boldly. "And I need to work in my revenge. I need your help, and you need mine."_

_Uusoae glared at him. "I can kill them without your help," she said hoarsely. He could tell she was lying, and she knew it. She changed her form to an eagle, with a human's head. "Why have you come to me now?"_

_He smiled._

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Rikash Salmalín ran his fingers through his brown curls. His sister, Sarralyn, would be returning from her stay in Corus today. Of course, his parents would dote on her. He stared at the floor.

He had thought the previous night about contacting Uusoae, who had come to him before, three years ago, asking him to help her have her revenge on his parents. He had refused. But now he wanted his parents to suffer, and he had wanted to talk to Uusoae.

And so he had a dream, but he knew it was more than a dream. He had magical powers, but even if he didn't, he would know it was another encounter with the queen of Chaos.

His father, Numair Salmalín, interrupted his thoughts. "Your sister is here," he told his son, with a note of pleading in his voice. Rikash had been distant for the past year, and if anything would revive him from his state, seeing his sister again would. He had not kept any contact with her since she left for Corus a year ago, but when his mother, Daine, had asked him what was wrong, he had insisted that there was no problem.

Rikash glared at his father, with a look of hate in his eyes, causing Numair to step back. "Will you see your sister?" the mage asked, looking a little hurt.

The boy looked down, feeling a twinge of guilt. He cursed himself silently. He could never forgive his parents for what they'd done to him. He forced himself to stare his father in the face. There was one thing he could do to really hurt them. The thing that Uusoae had suggested, but he had rejected. Now, he realized it was the only way.

"Of course," he said, with a nasty smile on his face.


	2. Threats

**Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns these characters; I do not.

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"Rikash!" Sarralyn embraced her brother, a big smile on her face. Rikash faked a pleasant expression.

"How have you been?" she asked her brother eagerly. "I haven't seen you for a while, and I've missed you!" She stopped to examine her brother.

After a moment of silence, he realized he was supposed to reply. "I've been all right," he muttered.

She didn't seem to notice his tone of voice. "I wish you could have gone to the university like me." She looked at him, puzzled. "Why didn't you? You have the Gift, and the teachers would tutor you in that. The teachers tutor me about shape-shifting."

Rikash fought to keep the irritation he felt out of his voice. "If Mother and Father do not want me to be a knight, I will not give in to what they want me to do."

Sarralyn nodded, biting her lip. She knew that she had crossed the line. "Well, I've missed you," she told him again.

He nodded. "I'm angry at Mother and Father," he said abruptly. He wasn't going to lie to her and say that he missed her. But if he hated her so much, why couldn't he bring himself to kill her?

Puzzled, she stared at him. "Why?"

"They wouldn't let me become a knight. But that was only the start." He wasn't going to tell Sarralyn the other things Numair and Daine had done. Even if he did, she wouldn't listen, as she adored their parents.

"It was probably for a good reason," Sarralyn protested. Rikash smiled grimly; it was exactly the response he had predicted.

"Well, they probably did," she said defensively, seeing the look on Rikash's face. "They love you, you know."

"I don't know," he said coldly.

Sarralyn snorted. "They do love you." She hesitated. "So do I."

He glared at her, taking out the knife he had brought. Now would be the ideal time to murder Sarralyn. He pressed it to her neck, willing himself to push it into her flesh.

"Rikash?" she asked him, fear in her voice. She stepped back.

He took the knife away. "Watch for me," he snapped. "You're not the only child here with a brain, Sarralyn." He stalked away.

Frightened, she called after him. "Rikash! What did I do?"

He snorted, turning around. "Just by existing, Sarralyn. Why don't you ever stand up to our parents? All you care about is yourself." He walked away.

Frowning, he trotted into his rooms. He should have killed her.

He shrugged. He would have plenty of time to do that in the future.


	3. Chaotic Death

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; Tamora Pierce does.

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_He was ten years old, and he was speaking with King Jonathan about his wish to become a knight._

_Jonathan looked at the boy, curious. "You understand your parents do not want you to become a knight. Do you still wish to serve the Crown in this way?"_

_"I understand, and I wish to serve the Crown by becoming a knight," Rikash said softly._

_Jonathan sighed. "Do you know why your parents are set against you trying for your knighthood?"_

_The boy nodded. "They want me to study at the university. But it doesn't matter, I want to serve the realm by fighting. Not using magic."_

_The king bit his lip. "Rikash, Numair Salmalìn is one of my best friends, and Daine is becoming a great friend as well, I will not defy them in this way. You are their son, and I have no say in what they choose for you." He hesitated. "Is there another reason your parents do not want you to be a knight? If I knew more, I would be more inclined to give way to you." He smiled._

_Rikash nodded again. "They don't want me to be killed in battle, with my body being in the possession of some enemy mage. They want me to become a great mage." He glared at his feet. "And they're people to talk! They risk their lives often."_

_"They are also adults." The king's voice was firm. "The decision is not mine."_

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He had to do it sometime, and now was as good a time as ever. He walked into Sarralyn Salmalín's room quietly. He took out the knife he had threatened her with, which was now dipped in a fatal poison.

He smiled grimly. He could hurt his parents through Sarralyn. He fingered the handle of the knife, thinking.

Ever since he refused to go to the university, his parents had obviously favored Sarralyn. He envied her more and more; she was doing what she wanted and had Daine and Numair's approval.

He walked quickly to her bedside, taking in her appearance. She looked innocent and sweet while she slept, just as she did when she was awake. Rikash grimaced. He wasn't sure if he had the courage to murder his sister.

He wondered if he was happy that Uusoae had entered his life. Was he just a tool, or was he someone that mattered? Someone who might be able to rule Chaos with her one day? Father Universe and Mother Flame had been approached by Uusoae several years ago, and she begged them to release her. Touched by their daughter's words, they agreed. And the queen of Chaos had started planning.

The former King of Chaos had objected to his wife's plans in his quiet way. But Uusoae didn't like defiance, even quiet defiance. She had exiled him.

Rikash had asked her who else would be helping them conquer Tortall and thus get revenge on Numair and Daine, but Uusoae merely cackled. He guessed that some of the nobles of Stone Mountain might help Uusoae.

The boy leaned closer to his sister, listening to her breathe. He brought the knife to her arm and gave it a slight push. He saw her bleed, and he smiled. The poison was now in her bloodstream; it would kill her any moment.

She opened her eyes, but she didn't scream. She stared at her brother, a look of sadness in her eyes.

He couldn't look at her any longer; her mouth was starting to foam. He turned away.

He heard a groan, and glanced back at his sister. She was dead.

Was he happy? He had wanted her to suffer, and he knew that she did. The poison was known for giving the victim a quick, painful death.

In any case, his work was done. He fled the room.

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**Author's Note: Thank you to all of my reviewers, and sorry to AnimalWriter1 - Sarralyn's death was sad, but it had to be done.**


	4. Ideas

**Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns these characters; I do not.**

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"Rikash." It was his mother's voice, waking him.

He stared up at her, knowing that she was going to tell him that Sarralyn was dead. He didn't want to hear it. Sarralyn got enough attention alive – now her death was going to draw even more?

"I don't exactly know how to say this," she began. She stared at her son with a pleading look in her eyes.

"What is it?" he asked, pretending to be concerned.

"Your sister…" she didn't finish.

He feigned alarm. "What about Sarralyn? What happened to her?" He wasn't sure how false he sounded. He had never been good at telling lies, even if they were only in the tone of his voice.

"She's dead, Rikash." Tears Daine had been holding back flooded her face. Rikash watched with satisfaction.

"I don't know who killed her," Daine sobbed. "Numair is working on finding him, though." She smiled coldly. "The murderer is not going to escape unscathed."

Rikash stared at his mother, and felt tears come down his face. He wished that he could confess that he had killed his sister. He wished his mother would forgive him. He brushed the tears away. Whatever he might think, his true loyalties lay with Uusoae.

Daine wiped her face with her hand. "Numair and I are determined to find the killer," she told her son. "Would you like to help us? I'd understand if you don't want to. Sarralyn's death must be hard enough on you as it is."

He ignored the last part of what his mother said. "I'll help you," he told his mother, trying to keep his face sincere. He knew that if he refused, his parents would be suspicious.

Daine smiled at him. "I was thinking you could go to the university and ask around to see if Sarralyn had any rivals."

He shook his head, fury filling his body. "I won't go to the university," he said icily. He attempted to smile. "I want to help Father track down the killer."

Daine sighed, shaking her head. "You haven't been trained in that sort of work; I doubt he thinks you're ready." She began to leave, then stopped. "Rikash?"

"What?"

She smiled. "I'm glad you've decided to make peace with us."

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_"We need a way to fight. We need a mage." The Queen of Chaos was on the verge of throwing things like a girl having a tantrum. "We cannot destroy Tortall alone."_

_Rikash shrugged - secretly he wanted to point out that he was an able mage, but something stopped him. Instead, he voiced something else. "Perhaps we could raise a mage from the dead." A moment later, he realized what he had suggested, and gasped. Uusoae would dismiss his idea as being foolish; he knew it._

_She didn't. "Who?"_

_He bit his lip. "Roger of Conté. He tried to destroy the kingdom once; I'm sure he'd like to finish his work." He hoped Uusoae wouldn't scorn his idea, as it was the first one that came to him._

_Uusoae nodded. "Who will raise him?"_

_Rikash smiled; he had an answer to this question. "The person who raised him before was named Thom," he informed Uusoae. "Thom of Trebond. His sister now has a son, Thom of Pirate's Swoop and Olau." He looked Uusoae in the eye. "Approach him in a dream."_

_He could tell she was weighing her options. Finally, she bowed her head. "Very well."_

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**Author's Note: Again, I want to thank my reviewers. This chapter took a while, and I'm sorry about the wait. I hope the next chapter will be easier, though!**


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